


Some Other Name

by Gemmiel



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), College Roommates, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Humor, Jealousy, KageHina - Freeform, M/M, Masturbation, Minor Angst, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-06
Updated: 2016-09-30
Packaged: 2018-08-13 10:00:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7972708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gemmiel/pseuds/Gemmiel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hinata and Kageyama are college roommates now, and Kageyama kind of wishes Hinata would call him by his given name every now and then. After all, they've been best friends for three years now, and aren't best friends supposed to call each other by their given names occasionally? </p><p>Not that he CARES, or anything. Except he does, sort of...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have not forgotten my Free! stories! I'm going to try really hard to get the next chapter of "Light" up today. But this popped into my head and I had to write it.
> 
> This is my first Haikyuu!! fic, so please forgive (and point out) any glaring errors or characterization problems. This chapter is not explicit, but later chapters will be. Thank you for reading!

They've known each other for three years, and in all those years, Hinata has never called him by his name.

Oh, sure, Hinata calls him "Kageyama" all the time. But they've been best friends for most of those three years, and Kageyama feels like that at some point, they really should've made the transition to calling each other by their given names, at least every now and then. He isn't absolutely certain of this, because he really never had a best friend before Hinata, but... well, isn't that what best friends do? 

Not that he calls Hinata "Shouyou" either. "Hinata," sure. "Dumbass" and "shrimp" and "idiot," definitely. But the word "Shouyou" has never crossed his lips, at least not when Hinata's around. He whispers it to himself sometimes, just to see if he can actually say it, and it's not like a physical impossibility or anything. It's easy enough to say, and it's a nice name, even. Probably a little too nice for a brainless ball of energy with spiky orange hair and an irritatingly exuberant personality. Maybe that's why he can't say it, because it doesn't suit his dumbass friend even a little.

But Tobio-- Tobio is an okay name, and Kageyama is pretty sure it fits him just fine. Blunt, masculine, to the point. That's him, right? It's not pretty or flowery or anything, it's just... well, it's his name. 

And he's beginning to realize he'd kind of like to hear Hinata say it.

*****

"Kageyamaaaaaa!"

Hinata is a whiny little bastard, Tobio thinks irritably. (He usually thinks things irritably, when it comes to Hinata. The little guy is undeniably his best friend, but that doesn't change the fact that he gets on Tobio's very last nerve approximately thirty times a day. Maybe forty.)

"Quit moaning, and help me carry this damn thing," Tobio grouses. They are moving into an apartment together, since they're attending the same university (and, naturally, playing on the same volleyball team). So it was perhaps inevitable that they'd wind up being roommates, even though it's clear to Tobio that Hinata will be the most annoying roommate in the history of the world. He probably should've tried to find someone else to share the place with, someone who doesn't make his teeth grind together on a regular basis, except Hinata was so happy babbling about the two of them living together that he couldn't quite find it in himself to object. 

But it's not like he _wants_ to live with Hinata. Hell, no. It just sort of... happened.

They moved all their boxes in yesterday afternoon, piling them haphazardly in the entrance hall, and this morning they're slowly moving them to more appropriate locations, preparatory to actually unpacking them. Tobio is aggravated, because he's definitely been doing more than fifty percent of the work. He wouldn't mind all that much, since he's obviously bigger and stronger than his pipsqueak friend, except Hinata's boxes are all incredibly heavy. He thinks sulkily that he really doesn't see why he should carry all of Hinata's crap for him.

"This... weighs... a ton," Hinata gasps from the other end of the box. He's breathless from exertion, and for some reason the sound of him panting like that makes Tobio feel strangely weak.

No, wait, it's not Hinata's voice that has that effect on him. It's just the fact that this box is _fucking heavy._

"This is far enough," he grunts, and drops the box down on the living room floor with something less than care. Hinata yelps, and barely manages to get his fingers out of the way in time to avoid having them smashed. Which serves him right for packing anvils, or bricks, or whatever the _fuck_ is in this stupid box.

"This is my bedroom stuff!" he wails.

"Shut up, idiot." Tobio sinks to the floor, acknowledging defeat. He's an athlete with a finely honed body, incredible endurance, and powerful muscles, but he's had more than enough of lugging Hinata's stupid crap around. He is _done._

Hinata tumbles over the box and collapses onto the floor next to him. He's a bit too close to Tobio, sort of invading his space, like he's been prone to doing lately. Tobio thinks he probably ought to shove him and grumble _back off, moron,_ but for some reason he doesn't. He hasn't. Over the past few months Hinata's been moving steadily into his personal space, closer and closer, and now he's so near that Tobio can feel the heat radiating from his body. He can smell his _sweat,_ for God's sake. Which is totally disgusting, and Tobio is definitely not drawing in a long, slow lungful of air for any reason except that he's out of breath from all this damn exertion.

"It's hottttt," Hinata whines. "We need to find a fan. Did we pack a fan?"

Tobio groans. It _is_ hot, and Hinata isn't helping any by pressing his stupid sweaty body so close to Tobio's. Not that Tobio is really noticing all that much or anything. It's just that Hinata is a heat source that rivals the sun, and his nearness is making Tobio sweat too. "I don't care enough to look."

"Meeeeaaaan." Hinata shoves against his shoulder with his face, which is something else he's started doing lately, like he's a dog nuzzling against his master, looking for a pat or something. And since Tobio is reminded so strongly of a dog, he can't quite stop himself from reaching down and running a rough hand through the orange locks. They're already standing on end, and they're slightly damp with perspiration, and they feel really really soft beneath Tobio's palm, like silk or satin, and--

"Cut out the whining," he grumbles, but there's no malice behind it. 

"Hot hot hot hot," Hinata chants, because he's still pretty much exactly the same guy he was when he was fifteen, only he's eighteen now and doesn't look quite as much like an elementary schooler as he did back then. He's still little, especially for a blocker, but his body has filled out from endless hours spent practicing volleyball and running and biking, and he's--

Well, he doesn't look like a little kid any more.

Still acts like one, though.

"There's gotta be a fan here somewhere," Tobio says. "You brought enough boxes to fill this apartment ten times over."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not."

Tobio sighs, because this could go on all day (and has, on more than one occasion) and shoves, fairly gently, at Hinata. Which is absolutely not just an excuse for touching his spun-silk hair a second time. "If you're that hot, then get off your ass and find a fan."

"Kageyamaaaaaa."

There it is again. His name. His _family_ name. They're college students now. Surely Hinata could call him Tobio? Not that he _wants_ him to call him Tobio, not exactly. It just feels like it would be, you know, appropriate.

"Dumbass," he retorts, because if he doesn't fall back on the familiar script he's going to blurt out _Call me Tobio,_ and then he's not sure what might happen. He imagines Hinata gaping at him in shock, then bursting into giggles, and just the thought is enough to make him flush. He doesn't want Hinata to laugh at him.

It's not like it even matters what Hinata calls him. Except it does, kind of. He can't stop thinking about it, about Hinata's voice murmuring _Tobio,_ in that intense way he has of saying the things that really matter to him. Not blurting it out too fast, but kind of lingering over the syllables. Not all whiny, but low and soft and sort of, well, caressing...

"You look scary!" Hinata's voice pipes in his ear, recalling him to reality, which is a hot apartment and two sweaty college freshmen collapsed amid a sea of boxes. "What were you thinking just now, Kageyama?"

_I was thinking about what my name would sound like on your lips._

"I was thinking about how much you piss me off," he says, making his voice as low and growly as he can and scowling threateningly as he reaches for Hinata's hair, fingers curled, like he's going to yank on it. Hinata squeals and scrambles backward, pretending to be terrified as his wide golden-brown eyes narrow to glittering slits of amusement and his mouth curves in a happy grin.

 _Just like a little kid,_ Kageyama thinks. 

Only... not.


	2. Chapter 2

Hinata is in fact the most annoying roommate in the history of the world.

It's not that he doesn't have his good points. Late in the afternoon, he wanders off to the corner convenience store and brings back meat buns for dinner, which Tobio appreciates (though he mostly rewards Hinata by bitching about how he snuck off to avoid helping with the unpacking). And (despite Tobio's bitching) Hinata is the one who manages to unearth the stuff they really need-- a toaster, the TV, a video game console, and _two_ fans. 

But there's this thing he does which is really, really irritating. 

He takes a shower.

Okay, Tobio admits, that in and of itself is not all that irritating. At least it shouldn't be. They're both pretty disgusting after a long, sweaty day of unpacking, after all. But when they finish up dinner, and Hinata cheerily chirps that he's going to take a shower--

It isn't a big deal. At least, it shouldn't be a big deal. He and Hinata have spent plenty of time in locker rooms together, which means he's seen Hinata in all possible levels of undress. He's even heard him showering (though of course he's never invaded his privacy by looking-- and he has definitely never, ever been tempted to do so, because that would be weird). The thing is, though, they were always in locker rooms with the team, and often about two dozen other guys as well.

But tonight, when Hinata goes into the bathroom and Tobio hears the water start running--

For the first time, it dawns on him that the two of them are completely, totally, 100% _alone._

Last night Hinata's parents were still hanging around when Hinata decided to wash off the day's grime. But now it's only the two of them. Tobio can't quite help picturing Hinata stripping off his clothes and stepping under the spray of hot water, maybe moaning a little with pleasure at the feel of it against his sore muscles, and--

Well, it _pisses him off._

He's not exactly sure why he's so irrationally infuriated by the fact that Hinata is performing an ordinary task like showering. Probably, he decides, because the little twerp is going to use all the hot water. Yeah, that's most likely his issue, right there. Hinata's going to stand there basking in the water, letting it trickle all over his body, until his pale skin is slick and wet and pink with heat, and then-- and then--

Tobio is on his feet and making for the bathroom before he even realizes he's stood up. He gets to the bathroom door and is startled to find his hand on the doorknob. _What the fuck?_ he thinks, blinking rather stupidly at his own hand. He doesn't know why he's standing here, or what impelled him to walk halfway across the apartment in the first place.

He ought to go back to the living room, but instead he stands there, listening to the sound of water splashing and spraying, and something in his stomach goes almost painfully tight and hot.

Irritation, he decides. That has to be it.

"Hey, dumbass!" he bellows. "Don't use all the hot water!"

Hinata's voice, high and squeaky with annoyance, answers.

"I haven't been in here thirty seconds, Kageyama!"

Tobio snorts disdainfully, because he's completely certain it's been more than thirty seconds. Forty-five seconds, at an absolute _minimum._ Plenty of time for Hinata to get himself wet and soapy and dripping and-- and--

Wait, what was he doing standing here again?

He spins on his heel determinedly and stalks back out to the living room, his stomach hotter and tighter than ever.

_So fucking irritating._

He picks his way through the labyrinth of unpacked boxes, locates their scruffy sofa, and plops down on it. He thinks about turning on the TV, but decides he's too tired to give a damn. Besides, if he turned on the TV it would drown out the sounds of the water splashing in the bathroom.

Which would actually be totally fine, he realizes. It's not like he's sitting here and listening to Hinata in the shower, after all. Because that would be weird.

Even so, he doesn't bother turning on the TV. He discovers he's kind of on the tired side. He leans his head back against the wall and closes his eyes, letting the musical sound of rushing water lull him, and maybe he drifts off just a little.

"Kageyama?"

Tobio opens his eyes to find Hinata standing in front of him, and abruptly he is much more irritated than before. Because Hinata is _not wearing clothes._

Okay, he's wearing a towel, wrapped loosely around his hips, but that does not, in any way, shape, or form count as _clothing._ Hinata is mostly dried off, but his skin is glowing pink and still has that damp kind of sheen to it, and his wet hair is standing up in every direction like a typhoon blew through it. He looks-- he looks--

Tobio becomes aware that his mouth is hanging open. He closes it with a snap.

"Put some clothes on, stupid," he grumbles. "You're going to get a cold."

Hinata lifts an eyebrow. "It's like thirty-five degrees in here."

"Yeah, but--" Tobio casts around for a more reasonable objection. "There's a breeze from the fan. You'll get sick."

"I'd put my clothes on," Hinata says, "if I could figure out where they were. Where did we put the bins with my clothes in them, anyway?"

Tobio doesn't answer. He's still looking at Hinata (because Hinata is right in front of him, not because he's staring or anything) and he can't help but notice that Hinata's skin is dusted liberally with pale ginger freckles. He had of course been aware that Hinata had freckles, but he hadn't realized quite how extensive they were. They're scattered across his shoulders and chest, and probably his back as well, and all at once Tobio's brain goes completely _gablooey,_ as Hinata might say. Abruptly he can't remember a single damn thing the two of them did today. In fact, right now he couldn't identify the country they're in. His brain has gone completely dead (Tsukishima would probably ask how he could tell), and he has absolutely no idea why.

Irritation, he decides at last. That has to be it. It's just irritation with his dumbass roommate who can't be troubled to keep track of his own stupid belongings.

"How the hell should I know?" he snaps at last. 

Hinata sighs and bends over to peer at one of the boxes, and the towel draped around his waist kind of _gaps,_ showing Tobio a long stretch of pale thigh and even a glimpse of his hip. Tobio knows his legs are freckled too, but he's not sure how far up the freckles go, and all at once he wants to know, very badly. He jumps to his feet and is headed toward Hinata before he knows it, his hands outstretched.

Hinata straightens up, and instantly shies back at the look in his eyes. "Don't kill me!"

 _I wasn't going to kill you,_ Tobio almost retorts automatically, but when he stops and thinks about it, he realizes he isn't quite sure why he got up off the couch, let alone why he charged at his friend like that. He was obviously planning on putting his hands on Hinata, but after that--

Well, he's not quite sure _what_ he was planning on doing. But he knows that he was definitely, absolutely not planning on stripping off Hinata's towel to see exactly where he's freckled.

Because that would be weird.

"I won't kill you if you get some damn clothes on," he says, letting his eyebrows draw down into his most dangerous frown. 

"Okay! Okay!" Hinata flees for his room, the towel flapping behind him. When the door closes behind him, there's a wet _thudsplat!_ sound, and Tobio knows that the towel has been dropped on the floor, and that Hinata is stark naked.

Heat and tension surge inside him, and he scowls angrily at a perfectly innocent pile of boxes. He's got absolutely nothing to be irritated about, and yet-- and yet--

Well, he thinks, Hinata _did_ drop a wet towel on the floor, and it's probably destroying the carpeting at this very moment. No wonder he's so incredibly aggravated at the thought of it. Anyone would be irritated by dumbass Hinata and his dumbass behavior, wouldn't they? It's perfectly rational to be so pissed off. Of _course_ it is.

He thinks about that towel lying there on the floor, imagines Hinata standing butt naked in his room, hunting through boxes for something to wear. He imagines Hinata's freckles in his mind's eye, envisions them scattered over every inch of his damp skin, and his knees abruptly give out.

He sinks heavily onto the couch and decides to yell at Hinata about the wet towel thing the instant he emerges from his room.

Because Hinata really needs to be reminded that he's the most annoying roommate ever.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where this fic starts earning its "explicit" rating.

The night's darkness is marred by the lights of the city, and jumbled noises of traffic and footsteps and voices outside drift through the open window, but Tobio doesn't care all that much. He's worked hard today at moving boxes and organizing their apartment, and he's exhausted. Lying on his bed in the dark, he suspects he'll probably drift off to sleep right away, without even having to indulge in his usual routine of tossing a volleyball in his hands till he gets sleepy.

He thinks of Hinata, just on the other side of this wall. Tobio's been to enough sleepovers and training camps with him to know he sleeps curled up into a little ball, just like a hedgehog. It's cute, or at least it would be cute if it wasn't Hinata. Since it's Hinata, Tobio decides to label it _silly._ Because who can possibly relax when they're up curled so tightly that their nose almost touches their knees? It looks uncomfortable, honestly. It always makes it hard for Tobio to fall asleep, because he can't drag his gaze off Hinata's ridiculous sleeping position long enough to close his own eyes.

Fortunately, he isn't looking at Hinata now. Even so, Tobio can't help thinking about him, curled up in his bed, his orange hair a brilliant riot of color against the pillow, his upturned little nose wrinkling in his sleep like it does when he dreams, and he shifts uncomfortably under the sheets.

One of the fans is blowing cool air over him, and the room felt pretty comfortable till just now. But all of a sudden Tobio has realized it's actually really hot. Irritated, he kicks off the covers. Stupid Hinata, he grumbles to himself, making off with the better fan. This one is obviously an inferior model. 

He can just see it in his mind's eye, Hinata on his bed, sleeping contentedly while the other fan ruffles his hair and blows a gentle breeze over all those pale freckles. Hinata's probably so cool that he'll get goosebumps, which will totally serve him right. Tobio thinks about Hinata shivering in his sleep, making those little complaining noises he makes when he's not completely warm and comfortable, and he heaves a heavy sigh.

He probably ought to get up and go into Hinata's room, make absolutely sure he's got enough covers...

He chops that thought off the instant it enters his brain. He can't just go wandering into Hinata's room whenever. It's not like the two of them haven't slept over at each other's house plenty of times, but-- well, they're roommates now, and he needs to respect Hinata's privacy. After all, suppose Hinata is... well, suppose he's...

He cuts that thought off even faster. Because as uncomfortable as it makes him to think of Hinata shivering in his sleep, it makes him so much more uncomfortable to think of Hinata, just on the other side of the wall, trembling, breathing hard, hips rising off the bed as he--

No. _No._ He is not thinking about that. Not even a little. 

It occurs to him that if Hinata happened to moan, even a tiny bit, he'd probably be able to hear it. The thought sends a twinge through him, and he can hardly hold back a moan of his own. It's not that he's turned on thinking about Hinata in the next room doing... _that..._

No, it's just that he...

Well, the truth is, it's been a while since he's done it himself. He's been really busy packing up all his stuff and moving, and it must have been four or five days since he jerked off, at least. It's no wonder the thought of it is getting him a little hot and bothered. Obviously it's not that he's thinking about Hinata, it's just that he's a little, you know. _Overdue._

He's only wearing boxers and a t-shirt, because it's freaking hot even with the fan. His skin is sticky with sweat, and he's not sure how much of it is from the warmth of the room, and how much of it is from his, um, problem. He reaches down and pushes the fabric out of the way, and wraps a hand around himself. He's already hot and hard, so yeah. Definitely overdue. No wonder he couldn't sleep.

He lets his hand move and thrusts against his own palm, and heat rushes through him. Not the annoying, prickly spring heat that he's been dealing with all day, but a lush and extravagant sort of heat that radiates outward from his core, filling his veins with molten pleasure so intense he can't breathe. His head falls back on the pillow, and he barely bites back a moan.

Damn it. This is one aspect of sharing an apartment he hasn't thought about much. It never mattered that much at home, because his mom was hardly ever there. But with Hinata in the next room over, he can't exactly make any noise, can he?

He thinks about Hinata, who could be doing the very same thing less than ten feet away from him, and an almost unbearable spike of pleasure hits him like lightning. He rolls to the side and presses his face into the pillow, and imagines Hinata doing the exact same thing to avoid moaning out loud. Or to avoid saying a particular word.

_Tobio._

The thought of Hinata murmuring his name-- his given name, not his stupid family name-- is almost too much for Tobio to bear. Ordinarily he's methodical and deliberate about this process, preferring a slow, leisurely buildup of tension, but tonight he finds himself in overdrive almost instantly. He lets himself indulge in the fantasy of Hinata's voice whispering his name, and writhes frantically, moving his hand hard and fast, smothering his desperate, uneven gasps in the pillow.

He thinks about what Hinata might look like as he jerks off, his bright hair sweaty and disheveled, his skin flushed, his pale freckles harder to see than ever, all but invisible in a sea of pink. He imagines Hinata's mouth dropping open, his eyes squeezing shut, all his muscles tensing--

 _Shouyou,_ he thinks wildly, _ah, God, Shouyou, yes, yes--_

His blood thunders in his ears and his heart pounds like a taiko in his chest. He's so lost in a foggy haze of pleasure that he can't even be bothered to grab one of the tissues he carefully placed on his nightstand earlier. He's uncomfortably conscious that the bed is probably creaking loudly beneath the frantic motions of his body, but he can't stop, he _can't stop--_

And then he's coming all over the clean sheets and the t-shirt he didn't even bother to take off, burrowing his face fiercely into the pillow to avoid shouting Shouyou's name out loud. It's like all the heat in his core explodes out of him at once, burning him with unbearable rapture, scorching him with an ecstasy he's never even imagined till now. It's so searing, so intense, that he finds himself shuddering violently, whimpering deep in his throat despite his best efforts at silence. _Fuck,_ it's good.

Afterward, he lies there, his face buried in the pillow, his shoulders heaving. _God._ That was-- that was--

That was _unsettling._

Despite the pleasant post-orgasm lassitude that weights his body down like lead, he can't help freaking out a little. Because he knows, he _knows,_ that what got him so excited was the thought of Hinata so close to him. And what tipped him over the edge, what made him explode into what was probably the most incredible climax of his life, was Hinata's name. His given name. 

Shit. _Shit._

That was fucking _awesome,_ and he can't even enjoy it because-- because--

Well, because Hinata's stupid face kept getting in the way of him enjoying himself, that's why.

He sucks in a steadying breath, and forces himself to think about it rationally. It's stupid to imagine that something as dumb as the thought of Hinata's given name would make him come like that, right? Of course it is. Obviously he's simply been spending too much time with Hinata this past few days, since his stupid face and his stupid hair and his stupid name keep flashing into Tobio's mind. It's not like he's into Hinata in that way or anything. He was just _distracted,_ damn it.

In fact, he reasons, if he hadn't thought of Hinata at such an inopportune moment he probably would've come even harder.

Still breathing hard, he flops back onto his back and stares at the ceiling, which is stippled with lights from outside. A burst of laughter spills in through the open window. The noise and the lights are all unfamiliar, almost as unsettling as his weirdly confusing thoughts about his best friend, and he sighs, realizing that despite his bone-deep exhaustion and his orgasm-induced relaxation, he isn't going to sleep any time soon. He has too much on his mind.

And absolutely _none_ of it is Hinata, damn it.

Grumbling under his breath, he yanks off his shirt, wipes off what needs wiping, and wanders across the box-filled room to find a clean shirt and shorts, only stubbing his toe three times in the process. He gets decent and stalks out to the living room, collapsing onto the couch. He doesn't bother to turn on a light. There doesn't seem to be much point in it, and besides, he doesn't want to wake up Hinata.

But five minutes after he sits down, he hears a door softly open, hears feet padding in his direction. They stop directly beside him.

"You couldn't sleep either, huh?" says Hinata.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kagehina cuddles.
> 
> Thank you all for the kind words and kudos so far! They are so very much appreciated!!!

Tobio isn't terribly surprised when Hinata plops down next to him on the couch. _Right next to him,_ with his warm arm pressed right up against Tobio's. Through the gloom, Tobio can see he's dressed more or less the same as himself, in a t-shirt and running shorts, and when his bare thigh presses up against Tobio's too, abruptly it is _way_ too hot in the apartment.

"Go to bed," Tobio grouses. He thinks about pushing Hinata away, but decides he's just too tired to bother. "We have our first practice tomorrow, remember?"

Hinata does that thing he does, shoving his face into Tobio's upper arm. It's sort of like being nuzzled by an Irish setter, minus the wet nose, and Tobio's other hand automatically comes up to ruffle his hair. A familiar sweet smell, reminiscent of cookies fresh from the oven, emanates from his hair. Not for the first time, Tobio thinks that it figures that Hinata would wash his hair with cookie-scented shampoo. He's sorely tempted to bury his nose in the silken locks, because he really likes cookies, but he refrains.

"Course I remember," Hinata mumbles. "That's why I can't sleep, idiot Kageyama. Every time I close my eyes I think about it. I'm too excited to sleep."

 _So am I,_ Tobio almost answers, but the memory of the precise way in which he was _excited_ a few minutes before makes him swallow the words back. It occurs to him belatedly that he certainly _should_ have been lying in bed, heart racing with anticipation, thinking about the upcoming practice, about meeting their new team. But instead he'd been thinking about...

He sees Hinata's damp bare skin in his mind's eye, sees the pale ginger freckles scattered all over it, and he gulps.

It definitely hadn't been the thought of volleyball making his heart race.

All at once he remembers the things he couldn't stop thinking about, the images he couldn't seem to get out of his mind. Vivid thoughts of Hinata, just on the other side of the wall, his back arching and his mouth open in a helpless gasp of pleasure...

But no, he reminds himself. He hadn't been thinking about Hinata jerking off in a creepy way; he'd just sort of had Hinata on his mind because he's been spending too much time with the little guy lately. That was all. After all, it wasn't like Hinata had been thinking about _him._ Of course he hadn't. He'd been lying awake, all right, but only because he'd been thinking about _volleyball._

And why wouldn't he? Volleyball is pretty much the most awesome thing ever, after all. Deliberately, Tobio turns his thoughts toward the sport he loves, thinks about how it feels to make that perfect toss, to see it arcing through the air. He thinks about watching Hinata leap into the air, small and graceful and awesomely athletic, his every muscle tensing as he slams a hand against the ball, his eyes glowing gold with determination...

And damn it, he's back to thinking about Hinata again.

Clearly the two of them have been spending way too much time together. It's not like he _minds_ spending time with Hinata, because after all, the guy's his best friend, but there's such a thing as personal space, too.

A concept which Hinata _very clearly_ does not get, he thinks, looking down through the murky darkness at the fluffy head pressing against his shoulder.

"You're dumb," he says, falling back on a familiar sentence he's uttered a thousand times, and lets his fingers dig into Hinata's hair, pulling a little.

Hinata doesn't seem to mind. He leans there with his eyes half-shut, letting Tobio yank on his disheveled locks, looking ridiculously contented. Finally Tobio gives up on trying to torment him and makes an annoyed noise.

"Go to sleep, will you?"

"Mmmm," Hinata says. He feels heavier against Tobio all of a sudden.

"Idiot, are you falling asleep?"

"Mmmmmmm," Hinata answers, more softly this time.

"I am _not_ a pillow, dumbass!"

"Not asleep," Hinata mumbles, nuzzling Tobio's upper arm. "Too cold."

"You can't be cold. We don't even have a fan in this room any more. It's like a tropical jungle in here."

"Cold." Hinata's voice is blurry with sleep, but a little thing like exhaustion has never shut him up. "Cold cold cold..."

Tobio blows out an annoyed breath. He's no quitter, but he knows Hinata and his quirks well enough to knows when he's beaten. He shifts, flopping over on his back so that his head is resting against the arm of the couch, and lets Hinata resettle himself so that his head is resting on Tobio's chest. Tobio puts both arms around him, just to keep him warm ( _anything to shut him up_ ), and Hinata subsides into a peaceful silence. He's mostly still, but every so often he sleepily nuzzles Tobio's chest. Tobio lets his hand play through Hinata's hair, just because he figures it'll probably help him get to sleep.

It's still hot, he thinks grumpily. Way too hot to have a small radiant sun lying on top of him like this. He thinks idly that he shouldn't have bothered to find a clean shirt, that considering the heat, he would've been better off without one.

And... suddenly he can't stop thinking about that. What if he weren't wearing a shirt, and Hinata wasn't either? What if the two of them were pressed up together like this, Hinata's cheek resting confidingly on Tobio's bare chest, his torso pressing directly against Tobio's ribs? Both of them hot, and sweaty, and... and half-naked?

The thought makes something inside Tobio grow impossibly tight and hot. He wants-- he wants--

Ugh. He wants to take his shirt off, because it's fucking _hot_ in here. That's all.

Hinata seems oblivious to the heat, because he sighs happily, like this is the most comfortable sleeping position ever in the history of the world. His legs move slightly, intertwining with Tobio's, and his small hand clenches into the black fabric of Tobio's t-shirt. And then he snores, softly and, well, cutely.

Tobio glares down at the hand clutching him (almost, he thinks, _possessively_ ) and considers picking the shrimp up and just carrying him to bed. It's not like he can't lift him easily, after all.

But... nah. It's too hot for that kind of exertion, and anyway he's too damn tired from moving all those boxes around today.

He's uncomfortable and hot and kind of squashed, because the chibi-chan is heavier than he looks. But Hinata's finally asleep, and he really has to be alert for practice tomorrow, so what the hell. Tobio's always been willing to make a sacrifice or two for his teammates, after all. He'll just lie here and _suffer_ all night, damn it.

He falls asleep five minutes later, his arms wrapped around Hinata and his nose buried in the soft cookie-scented hair.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a trifle more plot in this chapter. Also, please pardon the female OC (something I usually don't write). She is not going to be a major character.

Their first volleyball practice goes great. The team already has a terrific setter, so Tobio resigns himself to not being a starter this year. But that's okay-- he's just a freshman, and he can't reasonably expect to be a star so soon. He does his best at practice, hoping he can at least impress the coach enough to get put in games as a substitute every now and again.

Hinata jumps as high and zooms across the court as quickly as ever, and everyone is duly impressed by the two of them and their abilities. After they pull off their first quick, the team crowds around them, asking the usual questions-- _how the hell did you do that? how long have you guys been playing together? are you like psychic with each other or something?_ \-- and Hinata cheerfully answers their questions, his eyes shining with friendliness and good will. Tobio answers a few questions too, trying his best to smile, but he knows all too well that even his smile is scary.

By the end of practice, half the team is calling Hinata Shou-chan. No one refers to Tobio as anything but Kageyama. He tells himself he doesn't mind.

In the evening, they sit talking about the day's experiences on the sofa, and eventually they both fall asleep there again, Hinata curling up on top of Tobio like a kitten. But it's no big deal. It's just that they're both really tired from practice.

It happens the next night, and the next, too, simply because they're both too worn out to bother to stand up and walk into their respective bedrooms. It's surprising, Tobio thinks, how totally exhausting practice with a really good university team can be.

Classes start three days later. Tobio and HInata are taking several classes together (by design, because they're in the habit of always studying together), so between school and practice and studying they're nearly always in each other's company. But Hinata finds time to make other acquaintances as well. By the second week of school, he's already amassed an army of friends.

This, Tobio knows, is just how Hinata is. The guy has an innate ability to form lifelong friendships within five minutes of meeting people. He's seen it (and marveled at it) before. At every training camp the two of them went to, Hinata wound up on close terms with practically every other volleyball player there, no matter how fierce their team's rivalry with Karasuno, no matter how different their personality from Hinata's. He still texts a lot of them on a regular basis.

Tobio doesn't know how he does it. He's gone to the same training camps as Hinata, and no one ever even looked at him, let alone tried to talk to him, until Hinata dragged him forcibly into every conversation. Even then, he could see their discomfort with him. Tsukishima had informed him that the issue was his smile ("you always look like you're going to bite their throats, Kageyama, no wonder people are terrified of you"), but Hinata insisted he just needed to try harder.

Trying harder has never worked-- not at training camps, and not at school. Oh, every now and again he's found himself in an animated discussion with some girl or other. But Tsukishima was quick to point out that these conversations didn't really count, either: "It's not your sparkling personality, you idiot, it's just that she thinks you're cute. God only knows why." And Tsukishima was apparently right, because pretty much every girl seemed to lose interest in him once he mentioned that he didn't date because Volleyball Is His Life. 

Things haven't changed just because he's in college now instead of high school. He's the same antisocial jerk he's always been. So by the second week of school, Tobio has no friends other than the one he started out with, whereas Hinata has a doting swarm of admirers.

He's be lying if he said it didn't irritate him. Not that he's jealous or anything. It's just that these people keep coming up to the two of them, breaking into their conversations, interrupting their time together.

But he's not _jealous._ Just annoyed.

It might not be so bad, he admits grudgingly, if he didn't see Hinata's new buddies reacting negatively to the way he and Hinata interact. Frowning at him, _glaring,_ like he's mean just because he calls Hinata a dumbass regularly. Over the past three years he's gotten used to the Karasuno team, and they grew accustomed to him despite the yearly personnel changes, and no one ever blinked an eyelash at his less-than-courteous mode of speech. But these people--

"Why do you let him talk to you that way, Shouyou?"

The questioner is a girl-- Akina, Hinata introduced her, as if calling someone by their given name (without even a suffix) is perfectly normal for him. (And it is, for everyone except Tobio. Damn it.) The two of them had just sat down outside in the April sunshine to eat their lunch together, same as they've done for _three freaking years,_ when this-- this _person_ appeared, and joined them, sinking down on the emerald grass next to Hinata-- far too close to him for Tobio's liking.

She has bubblegum-pink hair and sky-blue eyes, like a freaking magical girl, and she is one of the most disgustingly adorable creatures Tobio's ever seen-- so cute she makes him want to vomit. He's not sure why he has that rather unusual reaction to her particular type of cuteness, and decides not to analyze it too much. Probably safer not to.

Besides, he's too busy wincing at her casual use of Hinata's given name to pay much attention to the way she makes his stomach turn. In a way, that's even more nauseating than her offensive cuteness. It's kind of like she's instantly been given a privilege he hasn't earned in _three fucking years._

Hinata looks blank. "Like what?"

Akina frowns cutely. Everything she does is cute. Damn it. "He's called you an idiot three times in ten minutes, Shouyou."

Hinata looks more bewildered than before. "He always does that."

"But you're not an idiot," she says, her voice rising. "You're a really smart guy."

Tobio snorts, and she yanks her head around to glare at him. She is tiny-- she comes up to Hinata's shoulder, which makes her approximately the height of an ant-- but despite her revolting cuteness she possesses a fearsome glare, and Tobio is hard-pressed not to shy back. 

"You," she announces, "are _rude._ "

Tobio blinks at her, baffled and astonished. He hasn't had a lot of female friends, but he's grown accustomed to Yachi and Kiyoko, who were used to his bad attitude, and who never jumped on him for his behavior. (Well, there was that one time Yachi tried to stop him and Hinata from killing each other, but he can't really blame her for that.) He doesn't know how to deal with this direct attack on his (admittedly barbaric) manners, and he sits there for a long moment, his mouth hanging open. He's saved by Hinata, who puts a hand on Akina's arm, very gently.

"He's my friend, Aki," he says. His voice is soft and gentle, but underlaid with steel-- a tone Tobio has only heard from him a handful of times. "Don't call him rude, please."

"But--"

Hinata fixes her with his intense golden gaze, which (Tobio knows from bitter experience) no one on earth can resist, and his voice grows even firmer. "He's my _friend._ "

Her gaze falters, and she blinks her blue eyes (which are, naturally, fringed with incredibly long, black lashes) rapidly and looks down at her own meal, subsiding meekly into silence. Hinata starts talking energetically about the science class they're all in, and the conversation drifts to more neutral topics.

But afterward, Tobio can't help wondering about it.

Does _Hinata_ think he's rude? Does Hinata kind of... prefer all these other people, because they're nicer to him than Tobio is?

He dismisses that idea as paranoid. Hinata is his best friend, and that obviously means Hinata likes him best. And obviously Hinata doesn't hate him, since he keeps falling asleep on Tobio every night (which is of course just because the two of them are so incredibly worn out by the end of each day, but it still shows he doesn't find Tobio, like, _revolting_ or anything). Anyway, despite the flock of new friends, Hinata still spends most of his time with Tobio, so it's clear he doesn't prefer anyone else's company.

But the worry remains, nagging at him. Is it possible Hinata's only been hanging out with him all this time because there wasn't anyone better? What if he finds someone he likes more, here at college? What if he discovers he prefers a cute, cheerful creature with bubblegum hair and a bright smile to a perpetually sullen asshole who can't open his big dumb mouth without calling him names?

He tries to push his concerns away, but they just won't vanish. They're there, lurking just beneath the surface of his mind, threatening to pull him down into a morass of anxiety and self-doubt every time he lets himself think about it. So he deals with the problem like any sensible, highly repressed person would, and doesn't let himself think about it.

But eventually he can't avoid thinking about it. That weekend his worries rise to the surface with sudden and violent force when he walks into their apartment in the evening, only to find a huge group of people there.

He pauses just inside the door, gaping. There are like _twenty people_ in his apartment. No-- he counts quickly, and finds that there are only five of them, not including him and Hinata. But in the small space it _feels_ like twenty. He sees a couple of guys from the team, and the rest (two girls and a guy) he recognizes from their science class. They're all lounging around, seated on the floor or the sparse furniture or the boxes he and Hinata haven't gotten around to unpacking yet. They're drinking sodas, and they all look relaxed, cheerful, _happy._

Except-- Akina is there, her bubblegum hair pulled into a stupidly adorable ponytail, and she does not look at all happy to see him. She fixes him with her fearsome glare, and he gulps.

"Hey," he says, standing awkwardly by the door and shuffling from foot to foot. "If you guys are busy..."

"Kageyama! Come sit with us." Hinata is grinning ear to ear, like he's totally in his element in the middle of a crowd. And of course he is. Tobio can't see any graceful way to decline, so he slinks toward the group, and finds a seat on a box that happens to be between Hinata and Akina.

Which is completely and entirely coincidental.

Hinata tries really hard to involve him in the conversation, asking him about his day, his dinner, his walk home. But everyone keeps _looking_ at him, waiting for his answers, and Tobio's never been much good at talking to a bunch of people at once, let alone people he hardly knows. Before long, he falls silent. He probably looks sullen and cranky, but the truth is he just doesn't quite know what to say to all these strangers.

Akina, he notices, is having no such difficulty. She chatters on cheerfully about just about every subject under the sun, just like Hinata does. It occurs to Tobio that the two of them really ought to be best friends. They're the same personality type. In fact-- and his stomach lurches unpleasantly at the thought-- they'd make a really cute couple. Well, except for the fact that their hair would clash so terribly.

He casts a wistful glance at Hinata, thinking that he likes it better when it's just the two of them, when it's late at night and Hinata gets too close to him and bumps his shoulder with his face and is in general intrusive and annoying. When the two of them can talk about whatever till late into the night, with no interruptions and nothing at all between them. When Hinata falls asleep on top of him, and Tobio is stuck with being squashed beneath him on the sofa all night.

When there aren't all these people around them, chattering like magpies, keeping them apart.

But Hinata isn't looking at him. He's engaged in an energetic debate with Akina (something about the lyrics to a recent pop song), and he doesn't even notice Tobio's gaze on him. All at once Tobio feels something hot and angry bubbling up inside him. He wants to snarl at Hinata for having all these people over, interrupting his studying time (like he was ever going to actually study on a Friday night, but _still_ ). He wants to yell at them to all get the fuck out of his goddamned apartment, _right now._ And he especially wants to shout at Akina, because she is so incredibly, irritatingly, nauseatingly _cute._

But he swallows back his rage. On an intellectual level, he knows that it's irrational to get mad about this situation. Hinata is entitled to have friends over, after all. Even cute ones.

And yet he is undeniably furious.

He glances back and forth between Hinata and Akina, talking so brightly and cheerfully together, and a terrible truth slowly but surely begins to make itself known to him.

 _Oh, my God,_ he thinks. _I **am** jealous._


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some minor angst in this chapter.
> 
> Thanks so much for all the kind comments and kudos so far! They are immensely appreciated!

Okay, so maybe _jealous_ is a bit of an overstatement.

Tobio lies in bed a few hours later, staring at the lights of the city creating endless moving patterns on the ceiling. He heard all of Hinata's friends go home a while ago, so it's quiet enough to sleep. But his bedroom feels kind of weird and unfamiliar, probably because he hasn't actually slept here in-- well, ever. He remembers lying in his bed two weeks ago, jerking off ( _not because of Hinata damn it_ ). Then he'd gotten up and stalked out to the living room, and he and Hinata had kind of accidentally fallen asleep together on the sofa. And since then, every night...

Well, when he thinks about it, sleeping on the sofa with Hinata has kind of become a... habit.

It's not like a _habit_ habit, though. Not like an addiction or anything, not something he needs or craves or even wants. It's not like he can't fall asleep in his bedroom, all by himself. In fact he'll probably sleep a whole lot better in here, with enough room to properly stretch out, and without a warm and surprisingly heavy little body flopped on top of him, putting all his limbs to sleep. The truth is, he's pretty damn tired of waking up with a crick in his neck and a numb arm. Sleeping alone in his own bed, he thinks, is definitely going to be far more restful.

He'd totally be fast asleep now, in fact, except for the fact that his mind keeps turning over his recent... revelation.

_I was jealous._

He thinks again that _jealous_ isn't really the right word for it. He's not a child, after all. He's capable of sharing his friends with other people. If Hinata wants to be buddies with Princess Bubblegum, that's perfectly all right. What's bothering him isn't the fact that Hinata was talking with her. No, it was...

Well, it was the way he was looking at her. So intent. So focused. 

Rage bubbles in Tobio's stomach again, but he tries to force it down. Hinata's just like that, after all. He _listens_ to people when they talk, stares at them with his big golden-brown eyes, like what they say matters to him. It's not like he was looking at Akina like he liked her or anything.

Well, of course he likes her. But he doesn't _like_ like her.

Right?

Tobio groans and rolls over in bed. It's still unseasonably warm, and it feels hot as hell in here, since his fan has taken up residence in the living room (he hasn't really needed it in here, after all). When he came to bed he opened the window wide to allow in the breeze, and stripped down to nothing but boxers. Even so, it's uncomfortably warm, and his bare skin feels sticky with sweat.

Okay, he thinks to himself, pressing his face into the pillow. So what if Hinata does like Akina? So _what?_ It's not like a big deal, right? Hinata's cheerful and personable and (in his own goofy way) cute-- it figures that he'd get a girlfriend eventually. It's not like Tobio _cares._ It's not like it would _bother_ him. Not exactly.

It's just that-- well, he's used to spending most of his spare time with Hinata, and if Hinata gets a girlfriend--

He wraps his arms around the pillow and squeezes it, hard.

Okay, so he doesn't like the idea much. But he's not _jealous,_ per se. Just very, very... dismayed.

He's so tangled up in his own thoughts that he hardly hears the door open. He hears it click shut, though, and he rolls over, blinking into the darkness. In the shadows he sees a familiar silhouette.

"Hinata?" he mumbles. "What the fuck?"

"Sorry," Hinata's voice says, bright and cheerful as always. "I didn't mean to barge in, but when you didn't come out after your shower I figured we were sleeping in here tonight."

Tobio gapes. _What the hell do you mean, dumbass,_ he almost blurts, but his tongue is suddenly thick and dry in his mouth.

The bed shifts as Hinata sits down on the edge, and Hinata's hand shoves his shoulder gently.

"Move over, Kageyama."

Tobio gapes some more. "Um..." he says, less than intelligently.

Hinata apparently gives up on getting him to move, and just sort of flops over on top of him. This at least feels familiar, except... 

"Get off, moron," Tobio grumbles. "I'm not wearing a shirt."

"Oh," Hinata says brightly. "Good idea, it's still really hot in here, isn't it?" 

He sits up for a second. Tobio sees him moving around in the shadows, hears the soft _shush_ of fabric being removed. A second later Hinata lies back down on top of him, and--

Tobio's mouth falls open, wider than before. Because Hinata's chest is as bare as his is. 

He remembers his thoughts from a couple of weeks ago, his vague imaginings of what it would be like to have Hinata pressed up against him, bare skin to bare skin. All at once it's not vague any more, and it's not just in his imagination. It's intense and vivid and real, a sensation that imprints itself on his every nerve and delivers a painfully clear message to his brain: _This feels good. Don't stop. Ever._

"Cold," Hinata says, nuzzling his chest.

It's not cold. They both know it's hot as hell. But he recognizes the code for _put your arms around me dumbass,_ so he does.

"Mmmmppphhh," Hinata says happily. His legs twine together with Tobio's, and Tobio is more painfully aware than before that neither of them is wearing anything at all except boxers, and Hinata's bare skin is pressed up against him almost _everywhere._

It feels good, so good, and he wants to pull Hinata against his body even closer, and-- and-- and he doesn't even know what. He just wants more. More skin, more heat, more Hinata. 

He lifts a hand, tentatively, and runs it through Hinata's fluffy locks, and Hinata lifts his head a bit and nuzzles at Tobio's throat with his little upturned nose and his soft lips, and...

Oh. _Oh._ He feels an ache growing in his body, a familiar tug in his groin. It occurs to him, perhaps a little belatedly, that he's getting turned on.

And that is a bad thing, a _very bad thing,_ because Hinata is-- is-- he and Akina are--

"Do you like Akina?" he blurts.

There is a very long silence. An intensely long silence. Hinata stops nuzzling at his throat (somewhat to Tobio's dismay) and just lies there, like he's giving the question long and thoughtful contemplation. Something sinks inside Tobio, sinks like a stone into his stomach, and he feels the rage and the hurt and the-- the-- well, the _jealousy_ \-- begin to roil again.

At last Hinata speaks.

"Are you really that stupid, Kageyama?"

Tobio instantly bristles. He's not stupid at all. Okay, he's not exactly a supergenius. Still. He's not _stupid._

"I just thought," he starts. "I mean. She's cute. With the hair and all. And she smiles. I thought maybe. The two of you. Because, you know."

Hinata begins making an odd noise. He's giggling, Tobio realizes, giggling like the situation is hilarious, only it _isn't,_ it's terrible and infuriating and excruciating, and Tobio pretty much wants to sink through the floor, to fade away and never be seen again. The rage inside him reaches a boiling point.

"It's not funny!" he snaps.

Hinata snorts, doubling up in wordless laughter, and Tobio loses his temper completely and tries to shove him off the bed. Hinata wraps his arms around his chest and hangs on tight.

"Let go of me!" Tobio snarls.

He can hear something in his own voice besides rage, something cracked and broken and wounded. Hinata must hear it, too, because all at once he seems to realize how angry his friend is. His laughter fades, and he presses his face into Tobio's chest, sliding small warm hands down his spine. His gentle fingers leave a trail of fire in their wake, and Tobio has to fight not to moan.

Oh, God, he is so screwed. So _very_ screwed. Because he has all these-- all these weird physical reactions, all these _feelings,_ and if Hinata likes Akina, then-- then-- well, he doesn't know how he can survive it. He _can't_ survive it. He feels himself trembling, _shaking,_ with something terribly close to panic. A pitiful sound, almost a sob, rises from his throat, and he clutches Hinata against him and shakes harder.

"Take it easy," Hinata says softly, like he's a lost and frightened stray dog. "Shhh, Kageyama."

Tobio wishes he'd call him by his given name, but the gentle tone is enough to calm him down somewhat. He doesn't feel quite so much like he's being laughed at, anyway. The rage roaring inside of him slowly subsides into a burning ache in his throat and a scalding heat pressing at his eyelids. He swallows hard, strangling another of those pitiful sounds in his chest, and tries to stop his convulsive shivering.

He buries his face in Hinata's silky hair and mumbles out a small, pathetic question.

"So do you like her?"

"Idiot," Hinata says, and his voice is soft, caressing. " _Baka._ How could you even think that?"

"She's cute," Tobio mutters. His voice sounds oddly rough to his own ears. "Really cute. And sweet. I thought maybe-- because she's so nice-- and I'm an asshole--"

"So, what? You thought I'd dump you for her, just because she's nice?"

Tobio feels the world turn on its axis. He tries to make sense of the shift, and can't. "Dump me?" he echoes at last, blankly.

Hinata goes very still. For a long moment he doesn't say anything, and Tobio waits, confused and wounded and still on the verge of a total freakout.

"Kageyama," he says at last, his words hesitant, uncertain. "Um. Once we moved in together, I thought we were, um. Dating, kind of?"

Tobio jerks his head back in shock. " _What?_ "

Even in the darkness he can see Hinata wince. "Shit," he says, and Hinata doesn't usually say that, it's always _poop_ or _crap_ with him, so Tobio knows he's upset. "I'm sorry, I guess I was dumb to think-- I just figured-- I mean, we've been sleeping together for like two weeks now--"

"Hinata." Tobio does his best to steady his voice. It isn't easy, because he feels like he's been hit in the stomach with a board. "When people who're going out say they're sleeping together, they don't mean--"

"I know that, dumbass!" Hinata's voice is shriller than Tobio's heard it in a long, long time. "But friends don't sleep together like we've been doing, either! I just figured-- I mean, I didn't want to push too hard-- or freak you out-- but I thought--" His voice cracks. " _Shit,_ " he mutters again, and tries to pull away.

Tobio doesn't let him go. He's still a lot bigger and stronger than Hinata, after all. He keeps his arms wrapped around the smaller boy.

"Wait," he says. " _Wait._ You really want to go out with an asshole like me?"

Hinata gives up struggling. He presses his cheek against Tobio's chest. His hot, wet cheek. Hinata's crying, Tobio realizes with a terrible pang in his heart. He's made Hinata cry.

"I thought I _was_ going out with an asshole like you," Hinata says, his voice very small.

"We never even kissed," Tobio points out.

"I thought maybe you didn't like kissing. Or maybe you just weren't ready yet. I told you, I didn't want to push too hard. You're so-- you know. Repressed."

Tobio can't argue that. "Okay, but-- I mean-- Akina...?"

"You idiot, we're _friends._ " He utters a sound that could be laughter or a sob or both. "She asked me again tonight why I put up with you, after you stalked off to get your shower, and I-- I told her you were my boyfriend. I told everyone else, too." He gives a pathetic little sniff. "I thought... I really thought..."

The word hits Tobio like a volleyball to the head. _Boyfriend._ Hinata told his new group of friends that Tobio is his _boyfriend._ He told everyone he knows, like being Tobio's boyfriend is something to be _proud_ of.

Once again his chest feels hot and swollen, but this time it's not rage bubbling inside of him. It's something totally different, something so bright and warm he can hardly contain it.

He thinks this might be what joy feels like.

"Maybe," he ventures at last, "we should try to talk more about stuff like this. I mean, instead of making assumptions that we're both on the same page. You know?"

Hinata sniffles.

"Don't cry, dumbass. Let's _talk_ about it, for once in our lives. Want to be my boyfriend?"

A long silence. At last, tentatively, Hinata rubs his face against his chest and speaks in a wobbly voice. "Y-you mean it?"

"Duh," Tobio says, yanking on his hair (slightly more gently than usual). "I mean, I'm pretty much stuck with you. Between studying and classes and practice, it's not like I have time to go out with anyone else anyway. Right?"

"V-v-very romantic, asshole," Hinata grouses. His voice is still quavering, but he's starting to sound more like his usual argumentative self, much to Tobio's relief. He does not like it when Hinata cries, especially not when it's (sort of) his fault. He tugs on the messy hair a little harder.

"I still don't know why you'd want me, though. Akina's right. I'm a jerk."

"B-b-because I _l-l-like_ you, moron."

"Oh." Tobio's chest feels so full of warmth that he wonders that he isn't glowing with it. He suspects he could power a medium-sized city with his heart right now. "You're okay too," he says gruffly. "I mean, for an annoying little pest with a big mouth and no brain."

Even in the darkness he can see Hinata bristling. "Is that your idea of a confession?" he demands, sounding outraged. 

"No," Tobio answers. He tilts up Hinata's face and kisses him full on the mouth. "This is."


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is smut. Fluffy smut, but nevertheless smut.
> 
> Thanks again for all the kind kudos and comments! They are so very appreciated!

Kissing is _amazing._

Tobio's never kissed anyone before, and neither (he thinks) has Hinata, so their very first effort is a little clumsy, a little awkward. Their noses bump, because despite the fact that Hinata's nose is tiny and upturned, it still manages to get in the way, so Tobio pulls back slightly, tilts his head to the side, and tries again.

This time it works a little better. Their noses don't collide, and Hinata's lips are gentle against his, soft and yielding and tender-- all words he has never before associated with Hinata. But he's never done anything like this with Hinata before, either. It's so intimate and breathless and-- and _gwahhhhh._

His lips move slowly over Hinata's, and he likes the sensation, likes it a lot. But he discovers that he wants-- he wants-- well, he doesn't know, exactly, except that he wants _more_ and _closer_ and _warmer._

His hands tangle in Hinata's thick mass of hair, and he pulls him nearer still. Hinata's lips part beneath his, and Tobio's tongue instinctively slips into his mouth, and--

When his tongue brushes against Hinata's, something goes through him-- _zing!_ It's like a bolt of electricity, straight to his stomach. He hears himself make a little pitiful noise, but it's nothing like the sad little half-sobs he was making a few minutes ago. This is a sound of need and hunger and want, a noise that he can't seem to suppress no matter how hard he tries.

Hinata tastes salty, thanks to all the tears he was shedding (Tobio refuses to consider the possibility that he might taste exactly the same, because he wasn't _crying,_ damn it, only got choked up a little). Tobio wants to make sure there aren't any more tears, ever again, so he deepens the kiss, letting his tongue stroke Hinata's again, very delicately.

Oh, God. He could do this all night. He thinks he just might do this all night. The taste of Hinata's mouth, the velvety feel of his tongue, the way his strong, slender fingers dig into Tobio's back-- it's all so _good._ When he started this, he only meant to kiss Hinata a single time, in an effort to convey how much he felt, how much he liked him. He'd figured one kiss would be plenty.

But now he's realized that one kiss isn't enough. Ten won't be enough. Hell, ten thousand won't be enough.

Hinata must like this too, because his hands are roaming over Tobio's back, and his legs are sort of twining around Tobio's thighs, like he's trying to hold on with his legs as well as his arms. Like he's worried he might fall off the edge of the bed if he doesn't hang on for dear life. Tobio doesn't want Hinata to worry about crashing to the floor, so he rolls over and pins the smaller guy beneath him, just to make sure he's absolutely-definitely-positively not going to fall. He braces his forearms on the bed, so as not to squish Hinata by accident, and kisses him even more deeply than before.

Hinata's arms slide around his shoulders and his legs wrap around his hips, and he can't help feeling the heat and the hardness of Hinata's cock, which is pressed up right against his. They're both still wearing boxers, but even so it feels incredible, so hot and so fucking intimate. He needs-- he needs--

Tentatively, he moves his hips slightly, letting himself rub against all that amazing heat.

And that feels--

Well, it's _zing!_ and _gwaaahhh!_ and _kapowie!_ all at once. 

Beneath him, Hinata gives a tiny sound, almost a whimper, and then his hands slip down toward the small of Tobio's back and tug, like he wants more. Tobio is happy to oblige. He moves against Hinata again, listens to him make another of those high-pitched sounds, and pleasure and heat surge through him. 

He wants to keep kissing Hinata, forever and ever, but he also wants to hear those sounds he's making more clearly. He pulls his mouth away (resulting in drool getting everywhere, which is clearly Hinata's fault, because he's the klutzy one and never picks up new physical skills as fast as Tobio) and buries his face in the silky cookie-scented hair. Their hips move together again, in a slow, deliberate slide, and this time they groan together-- Hinata high-pitched and almost squeaky, and Tobio sort of a deep rumble.

"Ah," he pants. "Ah, Hinata, is that-- I mean, do you like-- should I keep on with--"

"Don't stop," Hinata tells him, his voice as breathless as if he's been running drills all afternoon. " _Don't stop._ "

Assured that Hinata really likes what they're doing, Tobio moves against him harder. It's incredible, so good that an embarrassingly needy sound rips its way out of his chest, a long noise that could almost be characterized as a wail. The window is open and his voice is probably drifting out into the street, but right now he does not give the slightest bit of a damn. He feels himself trembling, and he knows he's wet with sweat. All at once he realizes it's hot, so hot. Uncomfortably so, really.

"It's too freaking hot in here," he mumbles into Hinata's hair.

"We need--" Hinata sounds like he can barely breathe. "Need to take our clothes off."

Yeah. That makes perfect sense, Tobio thinks. It's too hot to be wearing anything at all, and being naked will obviously help them cool off. Taking off the remainder of their clothes is completely logical.

He gropes for Hinata's boxers, and feels Hinata shoving his down, too. They wiggle out of their underwear, kick them out of the way, and then--

Fuck, oh, _fuck,_ Hinata is totally naked beneath him. Tobio can't stop himself from sinking down onto him, letting their bodies rub together. Hinata's cock is hot and wet and it feels satiny smooth against his, so good that he cries out ( _ahhhh God Hinata yes_ ) and his fingers dig into the sheets.

Hinata's fingers slip lower, pressing into his hips and pulling him closer, and Tobio knows that he is completely and totally lost. He needs Hinata in a way he's never needed anyone-- needs to feel the small body against his, needs to hear Hinata crying out in pleasure, needs to feel him arching up eagerly. He needs Hinata so much that he aches with wanting.

He hears words falling from his own lips, frantic, incoherent words, most of which seem to be a variation of _oh fuck yes._ Well... he's never been articulate even when he isn't lost in a haze of near-ecstasy.

"Unnnhhhh," he says, even less coherently than before, and turns his face into Hinata's neck. Hinata is sweaty and trembling, just like he gets after a hard-fought match, and he ought to smell kind of gross, but he isn't actually gross at all. He smells like himself, like cookies (what is that scent, really? vanilla, maybe?) and beneath that, the natural fragrance of his skin, which is in fact the absolute furthest thing from gross. Tobio inhales, filling his lungs with Hinata's scent, and the next thing he knows he's licking cautiously at Hinata's throat, exploring with his tongue, feeling the pulse racing just beneath the fragile skin. Hinata gives another strangled cry, and his fingers dig into Tobio's skin even harder.

"Please," he mutters, and his body wraps around Tobio's more tightly than before. Tobio doesn't try to fight it, just lets his hips move harder and faster, rubbing his cock against Hinata's with a growing sense of desperation. 

Hinata's body lifts to meet his, and within seconds the two of them find the same rhythm-- heartpoundingly fast, so hard it's almost violent, _urgent._ The bed creaks beneath them, and they both cry out with every thrust. The heat and the friction feel so good that Tobio can't even draw a breath. 

His hair is wet with perspiration, sticking lankly to his forehead, and sweat is trickling down his chest and back, but he can't find it in himself to care. He thinks about how he's going to shoot his load all over Hinata's belly, imagines the long, thick ropes of come spurting across Hinata's white skin and pale ginger freckles, and a frantic shudder wracks him.

"Oh," he gasps, "shit-- I can't-- can't _stop--_ "

He _wants_ to stop, or at least slow down, because this, he thinks, is the one race he doesn't want to win. At least he doesn't want to cross the finish line first. The person who comes first isn't the winner, after all. It's the person who controls himself best who wins. Everyone knows that. He thinks about that, and sucks in a deep, shaky breath, trying to get a grip on himself. He's not going to lose to Hinata, damn it.

"Don't stop." Hinata's voice is small and pitiful, and he's shaking harder than Tobio. "Don't _stop._ "

"Just... just... I have to..." Tobio clutches the sheets harder than before, and manages to get his body back under his control. He lies on top of Hinata, gasping and tense and quaking, but at least he's _still._ His cock is still pressed up against Hinata's, his chest is heaving like he's just run five kilometers, and the two of them are sopping wet with sweat and precome-- but he has control again. He's going to _win_ this, damn it.

But then Hinata digs his fingers into his back, so hard the nails would leave furrows in his skin if they weren't broken and chewed down to the quick, and his little tip-tilted nose nuzzles at Tobio's jawline. 

"Please," he whispers. " _Please,_ Tobio."

At the sound of his name, _his name,_ murmured in his ear, Tobio's control instantly zips away from him like a hard-hit jump serve. He gasps and trembles, his hips spasming helplessly, his cock twitching uncontrollably.

Shit... shit... he's _coming--_

"Tobio," Hinata says again, his voice a soft, warm caress, and Tobio gives a long, anguished wail, shuddering as heat and pleasure begin to wash over him in an endless ecstatic wave. His cock jerks hard, spilling come all over both of them, and it's so good that his whole body shakes with the sensation. He's lost the competition, but not by much, because half a second later Hinata is crying out too, and Tobio feels another spurt of wet heat against his belly. The knowledge that he made Hinata come too wrings a long last shudder from him, a gut-wrenching spasm of rapture so intense he can hardly bear it.

"Shouyou," he sobs. "Ah, God, _Shouyou_ \--"

Hinata clutches him closer than ever, and he buries his face in the soft hair and lets himself be consumed by heat.

*****

Afterward, they're both hot and sweaty and sticky, and they probably (definitely) need a shower, but Tobio can't bring himself to care. He's floating in a warm haze of post-orgasmic bliss, half-asleep, his face pressed into the side of Hinata's neck. 

"Say it again," he mumbles.

"Tobio." Hinata's voice is soft in his ear, whispering _his name,_ and Tobio thinks that it's absolutely the most beautiful sound he's ever heard. Sleepily, he presses sloppy, awkward kisses to Hinata's throat, feeling the pulse beating slowly and steadily beneath the heated skin.

"One more time," he mutters, echoing a phrase Hinata has said to him approximately a million times.

Hinata laughs, very softly, and runs a hand through his hair.

"I kind of thought you didn't like that name," he says. "The way you used to look when Oikawa said it--"

"Oikawa is a jerk." Tobio stiffens, shifting uncomfortably. "Anyway, it wasn't just my name. It was the way he said it. The whole -chan thing, and-- and his tone. He's a condescending asshole. I don't like _him_ calling me Tobio, that's all."

"Oh." The hand strokes gently over the nape of his neck, tracing along his hairline, and Tobio relaxes again. "I'm sorry. I would've used it before now if I thought you'd like it."

"Been waiting for you--" Tobio can't quite hold back a yawn. "To say it. Forever."

"Idiot. You should've said something."

"'M saying it now," Tobio mumbles. "One more time."

"Tobio," Hinata says again, softly, _fondly,_ and Tobio closes his eyes and lets himself drift off to sleep, the sound of his name a gentle, soothing lullaby in his ears.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I can't believe this hit 200 kudos! Thank you all so much for the kind notes, too. I really appreciate all the lovely feedback I've gotten on this one!
> 
> This is the final chapter, which (I hope) wraps the story up. Hope you guys enjoy!

In the morning, when Tobio awakens to sunlight blazing in his eyes and a small hot body adhered to his, he feels significantly less at peace with the universe. In fact, he feels pretty damn cranky. He's always grouchy in the morning (Tsukishima would say he's always grouchy, period), but waking up sticky and sweaty doesn't improve his attitude in the least. Dried jizz, he is rapidly discovering, itches like hell.

"Goddamn it!" He shoves at a half-awake Hinata irritably. "Why'd you let me fall asleep, dumbass?"

"Cut it out, Kageyama!" Blinking sleepily, Hinata shoves him back. "I'm your boyfriend, remember? You aren't allowed to call your boyfriend a dumbass!"

"I can call you dumbass when you're a dumbass, dumbass! We're stuck together now!" _And not in a good way,_ he adds crankily to himself, trying to yank away forcibly. Hinata squeals.

"Ow! Stop pulling that!"

"Your dick wouldn't be glued to my stomach if you'd just made me get up and take a _shower,_ damn it!"

"It isn't so much my-- it's more all the little hairs-- _owwwww._ "

"It's still your fault!"

He shoves again, and Hinata yelps in indignant protest. "You're pulling them all out! Ow! Ow ow ow!"

"Dumbass!"

"Poophead!"

Annoyed, Tobio sinks his hand into Hinata's wild hair and tugs, none too gently. Hinata tries to wiggle away, but since they're still kind of glued together, he doesn't get far.

"Oi! Knock it off!"

"Ugh," Tobio complains. "You have morning breath."

"So do you! And yours is worse!"

"Bet it's not," Tobio says, and proceeds to prove his maturity by blowing into Hinata's face. Hinata makes a horrible expression of revulsion.

"Ewwwww! Stop it, Kageyama!"

"Better get used to it," Tobio says, blowing harder. "Because it looks like we're gonna be stuck like this for all eternity."

"You're disgusting," Hinata whines, and reaches up a hand to pinch his own nostrils shut. "Cub id oub, Kabeyama," he says, almost unintelligibly.

Tobio pries his hand away from his face and shoves his nose right up against Hinata's, pressing their foreheads together and gazing into the golden-brown eyes. "You're disgusting too," he says. "Bet you taste even worse than you smell."

"Grossssss." Hinata shoves at his shoulders, somewhat halfheartedly. "If you kiss me, Kageyama, I swear to God--"

Tobio kisses him anyway. Yes, Hinata tastes disgusting, and his morning breath is unquestionably about ten times worse than Tobio's own. But now that they're dating, Tobio figures it's his duty to suffer through it. That's what boyfriends do, after all. And after a moment, Hinata kisses him back, like he's come to the same conclusion.

Kissing in the morning is gross, but it's... well, tolerable. Barely tolerable.

Even so, they manage to tolerate it for fifteen minutes or so, until the itching gets too bad and Tobio reluctantly acknowledges that they need to get cleaned up before they actually find themselves glued together permanently.

***** 

Once they've peeled themselves apart, Kageyama claims the first shower (by running for it while Hinata is still clutching himself chanting _ow ow ow_ ). Hinata sulks into the bathroom after he's finished, grumbling about unsportsmanlike conduct. When he comes padding out of the bathroom in a cloud of steam thirty minutes later, wearing only a towel, Tobio's mind instantly goes blank but for a single thought. 

_Freckles._

Hinata's hair is standing up all over his head, and his body is glistening with moisture. His muscles shift and ripple beneath his gleaming skin as he walks, and ordinarily Tobio might be fascinated by that, or amused by his crazy post-shower hair, but right now he can only focus on one thing.

_Freckles. So many freckles._

He stands up and heads straight for Hinata, who (quite predictably) backs away with an anxious expression. "Hey! What'd I do now?"

"Relax," Tobio says gruffly. "I wasn't going to pull your hair. I just wanted to see--"

He reaches out and tugs at the towel, and it drops to the floor, leaving Hinata standing in front of him, covered in absolutely nothing but his splotchy ginger freckles.

They are _everywhere,_ running up the inside of his thighs and trailing down his flat stomach and-- Tobio walks around him, drawn by an irresistible fascination-- all over his ass, too. He swallows hard.

He stops in front of Hinata and looks down at him.

"You've got freckles," he says, stupidly.

Hinata blinks, like Tobio has just said the dumbest of all possible dumb things. Probably he has. His mind isn't working all that well right now.

"Duh," he answers. "I've always had them. They go with the hair."

"They're _everywhere,_ " Tobio says. Hinata's rapidly deepening expression of incredulity lets him know that this is also an incredibly stupid observation.

"Obviously," he says.

"They're just-- they're really--"

Hinata sighs, and seems to droop a little. Even his hair looks less insanely spiky than before. "You don't like them."

That is so far from what Tobio is trying to say that his mouth drops open. "No," he says, trying hastily to clarify and doing a really piss-poor job of it. "No. I mean, they're-- you're just so--"

Hinata scowls, his eyebrows drawing together, and bends to retrieve his towel. "I know they make me look like a little kid, all right? But I can't help having freckles. I've always had them, and they're dumb, but I can't get rid of them or anything, so--"

His voice is defensive, almost angry, and his body looks tense. Tobio realizes he's fucking this up, big time. "They're cute," he blurts out in desperation. "You're cute."

Hinata gapes at him. The towel drops from his hand, forgotten. 

"What?" he says at last, like he can't quite believe his ears. Like Tobio's never given him a compliment before. And maybe he hasn't ever, at least not on Hinata's appearance. He knows he's told Hinata many times how athletic he is, how fast he is, what an asset he is to the team, but he's pretty sure he's never said anything like _You're cute_ before.

In fact, the only compliment he gave Hinata last night was _You're okay... for an annoying little pest._

He remembers Akina telling him he was rude, and all at once he knows she was right. He _is_ rude, and Hinata-- _Shouyou_ \-- deserves better. At least sometimes.

"C-cute," he says again, swallowing. This isn't as easy as he thought it would be, with that golden-brown gaze pinned on him so intently. "I... I like your freckles. They're cute, but they're also really... sexy."

Hinata huffs out a wry, incredulous laugh. "You're making fun of me, aren't you?"

"No. I-- I--" Tobio sucks in a breath and tries to get his voice under control. "Shut up for a minute and let me _talk,_ dumbass. I want... I want to kiss them, Shouyou. All of them."

Hinata looks at him for a long moment, looking as stunned as if Tobio just grew a second head, and a few tentacles besides. At last his posture relaxes, and his mouth quirks in a small smile.

"Oh, really, _Tobio?_ " he says, his voice lowering from its normal shrill tones to a soft, velvety, almost seductive quality. Tobio's never heard him sound quite like that before, and it (along with the sound of his given name) hits him hard, right in the gut. Or a little lower, maybe. "All of them? But I have them _everywhere._ "

" _All of them,_ " Tobio says firmly.

It's an ambitious project, but Tobio's always been an ambitious kind of guy, and he doesn't mind working hard to achieve his goals. This particular goal will no doubt quite a while to achieve, but it's the weekend, after all, and they don't have practice till much later. So he dedicates himself to his goal wholeheartedly, and eventually manages to accomplish it.

And it is very definitely worth the effort.

*****

On Monday, the two of them are sitting in the shade outside, eating lunch. It feels the same as ever, really, except for the fact that he spent the weekend kissing Hinata's body all over, very, very thoroughly, which sort of makes things less like _the same as ever_ and more like _totally and completely different._ He thinks about the way Hinata squeals with laughter when he brushes kisses over his flat abdomen, how he giggles hysterically when Tobio kisses his toes, how he moans when Tobio puts his mouth on--

Well, despite the whole morning breath thing, he has to admit that having a boyfriend definitely has its advantages.

He's so caught up in his thoughts, and his rather lurid memories, that he doesn't even notice Princess Bubblegum until Hinata waves and shouts, "Hi, Aki!"

Akina waves back and heads toward them, and Hinata beams so happily that Tobio instantly feels jealousy drop into his stomach like a stone. He lifts his head, scowling ferociously at the oncoming pink-haired one. Hinata is his now, _his,_ damn it, and he shouldn't have to share him with cutely adorable magical girls who make Hinata grin from ear to ear. He spent the _whole goddamn weekend_ making sure that Hinata knew how he felt, making sure that Hinata knew that he belongs to Tobio and absolutely no one else, and now-- now--

Hinata reaches out casually and threads his fingers through Tobio's, and all of Tobio's petty, jealous thoughts instantly vanish like smoke in the wind.

He looks down at their intertwined hands, blinking stupidly. All at once he remembers that Hinata told Akina and everyone else that they're dating, told them like it was something to be happy about. Like he was _proud_ to call Tobio his boyfriend. Holding hands in public, he thinks, is just another way of telling the world that they're together, and it makes a fierce hot pride bubble up in Tobio, too.

Hinata's hand squeezes his, and he squeezes back. Then he swallows hard, and looks up at Akina, who's come to a halt in front of them. He doesn't offer her a smile, because he knows that his smile is terrifying and has been known to make small children cry. But he doesn't scowl, either.

"Hey, Aki-san," he says. "Want to join me and Shouyou for lunch?"

Akina looks briefly surprised, but then she smiles brightly.

"Sure," she says, and drops down onto the grass.

Tobio glances at his boyfriend. Hinata's eyes, gleaming like molten gold in the late morning sunlight, aren't watching Akina, but him. There's a look in his steady gaze, a look of calmly assured confidence. Like he knows that Tobio's going to keep growing and changing and maybe, in some ways, improving. Like he knows Tobio is capable of making friends, too.

Hinata will always be Hinata, Tobio thinks, and he will always collect new friends, wherever he goes. And if Tobio's lucky, maybe he'll manage to make a few new ones along the way, too. But even if he makes twenty new friends, he knows he'll always like Hinata best of all.

Because Hinata's not just his boyfriend-- he's his best friend, and always will be. And now he knows, with absolute certainty, that Hinata likes him best of all, too.

And that's really all that matters.


End file.
